I have been having episodes since 2011. When it happens I relax and drink enough water. Also I have cut out caffeine totally. Now I get it when stressed but stay home. Also I take blood thinner because clots could happen while having an episode. Cannot take meds for it either. I'm in my 80's and take no medications except for the blood thinner.
In the beginning went to emergency. Had cardio version 3 times. Now just wait it out. Sneezing has corrected it at times and also via the vagus nerve.
@carnes, I'll let @knowing respond to your concern about your tachycardia and the vagus nerve, because my A-fib is nearly without symptoms.
I am interested in your medication because it's much like mine: Coumadin instead of Eliquis as an anticoagulant; Amiloride (diuretic)instead of Amlodipine (blood vessel relaxant) to reduce blood pressure ; Atorvastatin instead of Pravastatin (anticholesterol); and like you, Carvedilol. In my mind, strong medications can be minimized by reduced dosages (although 40mg statin is "strong" for sure), but my dosages are "strong." Norvasc can have a double purpose -- slowing the heart beats and reducing blood pressure. Same with Carvedilol -- a double-purpose medication.
My medication brought my BP under control -- always below 140/90 (not bad for someone 82 years old) -- but when I get up in the morning, it reads a little above that until my morning meds take effect. We have started to scale back the BP meds, thanks to careful nutrition adjustments, loss of weight, and life style changes, including special exercises designed to repair nerves and muscles impaired by my "small stroke." When I doubted my meds a year ago, I tracked down a couple of doctors and got second and third opinions on what to do. Maybe you would benefit from the same strategy. Martin
Had cardioversion 6 months ago. Lasted one month. Now on. Metropolol And cardiazam was on eliqui s but after intestinal and brain bleed. Had to get off blood thinner. Had the watchman put in yesterday and now have to be back on eliquis for six weeks . Hopefully eventually off blood thinners. Next is ablation and pacemaker.
Had cardioversion 6 months ago. Lasted one month. Now on. Metropolol And cardiazam was on eliqui s but after intestinal and brain bleed. Had to get off blood thinner. Had the watchman put in yesterday and now have to be back on eliquis for six weeks . Hopefully eventually off blood thinners. Next is ablation and pacemaker.
I had the Watchman implanted a year ago and have been doing just fine since. I was on Eliquis for 6 months following the implant and have been on a low dose aspirin after I stopped the Eliquis. All went well with my implantation and I have had no problems. I pray that your results are as successful. Do you have other heart problem? I'm just curious as to the ablation and pacemaker.
Martin I wrote you a response that took me close to 2 hours and when I hit "post reply" I just got a little circle thing going around and around. I was afraid to do anything, so I just left it to hopefully fix itself, but when I came back to it 2 hours later, the entire message was gone! I have no idea what happened, but I will write again tomorrow.
I've just been diagnosed with AFIB and I'm terrified. I joined the Connect group but when I finally find my way to the AFIB discussion group, there doesn't seem to be a place for me to post. I REALLY NEED SOME SUPPORT. Thank you
Hi (again) Martin......I was wondering if my post that "disappeared" was simply too long? Or perhaps accessing this site from my email page messed it up, but that's how I've contacted both you and Teresa each time I've written. Well, we'll see what happens with this one. I'm going to keep it very short and just ask a few questions. I would really like to know what AFIB feels like for most people, and how long their "episodes" last. To me, it feels very, very similar to my PVC's, but I get a lot more. It seems to happen on and off all day and well into the night. Most times it seems to settle down by the time I'm ready to turn out the light or it is very faint and I'm able to fall asleep. (As long as I can keep my anxiety under control) My PVC's use to happen a few times a day, and then it might be several days, if I was lucky, before I had more. Now, as I said, it's every day. Is this a really BAD thing? Could the fact that this diagnosis is less than a week old and has me so scared, caused my panic disorder to trigger it? I received the Xeralto from the cardio and was terrified of taking it because of side effects. I took it and have had absolutely no side effects. I honestly think I was mistakenly looking at side effects for anti-arrhythmic drugs, which DO seem to have an abundance of side effects....I think I was scaring myself for nothing. Martin, I'm going to close this now in case I lose this one, too. When I went to the Mayo Clinic Connect site directly, I couldn't see where to log in and I could find our discussion. I need some help with navigation as well. I hope you get this......I'm working myself into a panic again. Thanks so much Linda/RubyWitch
I've just been diagnosed with AFIB and I'm terrified. I joined the Connect group but when I finally find my way to the AFIB discussion group, there doesn't seem to be a place for me to post. I REALLY NEED SOME SUPPORT. Thank you
I've just been diagnosed with AFIB and I'm terrified. I joined the Connect group but when I finally find my way to the AFIB discussion group, there doesn't seem to be a place for me to post. I REALLY NEED SOME SUPPORT. Thank you
Martin I wrote you a response that took me close to 2 hours and when I hit "post reply" I just got a little circle thing going around and around. I was afraid to do anything, so I just left it to hopefully fix itself, but when I came back to it 2 hours later, the entire message was gone! I have no idea what happened, but I will write again tomorrow.
Hello Martin, thank you for such a quick reply. You and Teresa are really kind and caring people. It is too late today to contact my cardiologist. I'm sure if I called his office, there would be somebody on call, but I have no doubt they would just tell me to go to the ER. So far today, I have only had a few very short PVC's, or what I USE to call PVC's. I no longer know WHAT to call them. But they haven't been "bothersome" nor have they freaked me out. They feel just like what I've been living with the past 8 years. These recent weird runs have only happened in the evening AFTER I've eaten a fairly large meal and then just sprawl on the couch watching TV or reading. I think if you've read my posts, you know I have panic disorder and the more I think about it, the more I realize that when these episodes begin, SO DOES MY PANIC. Because I haven't met with my cardio yet and talked about this in depth, I am really just out here dealing with a whole lot of "unknown stuff" and "unknown stuff" scares me really bad and makes the panic come. When I first began having PVC's, I would have terrible panic attacks and I could feel the PVC's getting stronger and lasting longer. Once I started to get use to them and accept what my cardiologist said about them......that they were benign and because my heart was structurally sound, I should just learn to ignore them. Which I did. (More or less) One I reached that point, the panic attacks stopped, at least as far as the PVC's were concerned. I think I was going to make a point here, but I've gotten myself lost, again! I think I was going to say something about how I think this new diagnosis has scared me so badly, my panic attacks are really strong and that is why these episodes are lasting as long as they are. Last night, I did some of my relaxation breathing and my heartrate went way down, but then I began to OVERTHINK AND STRESS and it started back up again. I had stopped reading and turned the light out, so I was just laying there in the dark with my mind going a million miles an hour. I finally turned the light back on and started reading again. Very soon after that, my HR returned to normal, I read for a little while longer, turned the light out and went to sleep almost immediately. I slept for almost 10 hours as I think I was emotionally exhausted. And now, here I am today, 8 hours later and have had only a few mild PVC's. But I can feel my anxiety building as I think about "what's going to happen tonight?" But that's how my panic disorder rules me...…….it just picks away at me and the first odd physical sensation I have, it's game over. I am on an anti-anxiety medication but normally only take it in the morning. Tonight I think I will take some in the evening and eat a much smaller dinner and not lay down on the couch.
If I WERE to go to the ER, what would they do? I know they'd do an EKG and if I was in AFIB, what would they do? See, it's that damn "unknown" that scares me so badly.
May I ask why you are on Coumadin and not one of the newer meds for AFIB? Having to have your blood checked every month, isn't that more of a hassle than taking a pill? But the pills and their side effects scare me, and I wonder if going the coumadin route wouldn't be better for me with my panic issues? I am SO confused right now. And bye the way, I am so happy that your stroke was "mild" and that with some PT you are back bowling a near perfect game.
I don't know if I'll feel better with a diagnosis of AFIB over PVC's. My cardio, who knows I'm anxious, always made a point of reassuring me that my PVC's were benign and that definitely helped. Now I don't have a clue where I am. Right now I feel like a blimp that has come untethered and is out of control.
During the week I feel like I can readily connect with my doctor, but the week-ends are a dead end. At least, I THINK they are. I've never tried to contact him after hours or on the week-end, so I don't know. Guess I just figured it was Urgent Care or the ER. And while I live in a rural area, we are only about 1/2 mile from the fire station which is very up to date and has two EMT units. The station is now also manned 24/7, so yes, there is help very close by.
I have seen my cardio every 6 months for the past 8 years since the stents were placed. I've done 2 stress/echo's, I've worn a Holter twice which showed nothing...…….how did I suddenly develop AFIB? Or was I misdiagnosed and it has just now gotten worse?
I am sorry this post has probably rambled and I have so many questions. Thank you for caring. Linda
Good morning, @rubywitch67! To answer your questions, I'd start by saying I probably overemphasized going to the ER. I'm always ready to do that, but I'd call 911 only if I know that my symptoms are severe and in need of emergency attention by the best doctors available. In most cases of A-fib incidents, the arrhythmia isn't that severe, although it could be. Check this source on the Mayo Clinic web site for more information: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-arrhythmia/symptoms-causes/syc-20350668.
A-fib is an electrical misfiring in the upper chamber (atrium) of the heart, as compared with PVC -- premature contraction of the ventricles (lower pumping chambers). A-fib has a very wide range of symptoms, and treatment of it depends on what they are and how likely they are to cause you injury. In most cases, A-fib doesn't deserve immediate emergency treatment; even severe cases tend to be addressed with surgical procedures (not open-heart surgery) to correct disruptions in the electrical signals that cause the heart to beat.
Coumadin is my preferred drug for reducing the tendency of my blood to coagulate. I take a pill every day and drop in to my medical lab on the way home from the bowling alley once a month. No hassle; I get a call within a few hours about my coagulation index and what my dosage should be for the coming month. More hassle than Xarelto, but I'm glad to have the relentless monthly check on how things are going on the status of blood clotting in my heart.
Did you find the information on the Mayo Clinic web site helpful and reassuring?
I've just been diagnosed with AFIB and I'm terrified. I joined the Connect group but when I finally find my way to the AFIB discussion group, there doesn't seem to be a place for me to post. I REALLY NEED SOME SUPPORT. Thank you
Hello Martin, thank you for such a quick reply. You and Teresa are really kind and caring people. It is too late today to contact my cardiologist. I'm sure if I called his office, there would be somebody on call, but I have no doubt they would just tell me to go to the ER. So far today, I have only had a few very short PVC's, or what I USE to call PVC's. I no longer know WHAT to call them. But they haven't been "bothersome" nor have they freaked me out. They feel just like what I've been living with the past 8 years. These recent weird runs have only happened in the evening AFTER I've eaten a fairly large meal and then just sprawl on the couch watching TV or reading. I think if you've read my posts, you know I have panic disorder and the more I think about it, the more I realize that when these episodes begin, SO DOES MY PANIC. Because I haven't met with my cardio yet and talked about this in depth, I am really just out here dealing with a whole lot of "unknown stuff" and "unknown stuff" scares me really bad and makes the panic come. When I first began having PVC's, I would have terrible panic attacks and I could feel the PVC's getting stronger and lasting longer. Once I started to get use to them and accept what my cardiologist said about them......that they were benign and because my heart was structurally sound, I should just learn to ignore them. Which I did. (More or less) One I reached that point, the panic attacks stopped, at least as far as the PVC's were concerned. I think I was going to make a point here, but I've gotten myself lost, again! I think I was going to say something about how I think this new diagnosis has scared me so badly, my panic attacks are really strong and that is why these episodes are lasting as long as they are. Last night, I did some of my relaxation breathing and my heartrate went way down, but then I began to OVERTHINK AND STRESS and it started back up again. I had stopped reading and turned the light out, so I was just laying there in the dark with my mind going a million miles an hour. I finally turned the light back on and started reading again. Very soon after that, my HR returned to normal, I read for a little while longer, turned the light out and went to sleep almost immediately. I slept for almost 10 hours as I think I was emotionally exhausted. And now, here I am today, 8 hours later and have had only a few mild PVC's. But I can feel my anxiety building as I think about "what's going to happen tonight?" But that's how my panic disorder rules me...…….it just picks away at me and the first odd physical sensation I have, it's game over. I am on an anti-anxiety medication but normally only take it in the morning. Tonight I think I will take some in the evening and eat a much smaller dinner and not lay down on the couch.
If I WERE to go to the ER, what would they do? I know they'd do an EKG and if I was in AFIB, what would they do? See, it's that damn "unknown" that scares me so badly.
May I ask why you are on Coumadin and not one of the newer meds for AFIB? Having to have your blood checked every month, isn't that more of a hassle than taking a pill? But the pills and their side effects scare me, and I wonder if going the coumadin route wouldn't be better for me with my panic issues? I am SO confused right now. And bye the way, I am so happy that your stroke was "mild" and that with some PT you are back bowling a near perfect game.
I don't know if I'll feel better with a diagnosis of AFIB over PVC's. My cardio, who knows I'm anxious, always made a point of reassuring me that my PVC's were benign and that definitely helped. Now I don't have a clue where I am. Right now I feel like a blimp that has come untethered and is out of control.
During the week I feel like I can readily connect with my doctor, but the week-ends are a dead end. At least, I THINK they are. I've never tried to contact him after hours or on the week-end, so I don't know. Guess I just figured it was Urgent Care or the ER. And while I live in a rural area, we are only about 1/2 mile from the fire station which is very up to date and has two EMT units. The station is now also manned 24/7, so yes, there is help very close by.
I have seen my cardio every 6 months for the past 8 years since the stents were placed. I've done 2 stress/echo's, I've worn a Holter twice which showed nothing...…….how did I suddenly develop AFIB? Or was I misdiagnosed and it has just now gotten worse?
I am sorry this post has probably rambled and I have so many questions. Thank you for caring. Linda
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@carnes, I'll let @knowing respond to your concern about your tachycardia and the vagus nerve, because my A-fib is nearly without symptoms.
I am interested in your medication because it's much like mine: Coumadin instead of Eliquis as an anticoagulant; Amiloride (diuretic)instead of Amlodipine (blood vessel relaxant) to reduce blood pressure ; Atorvastatin instead of Pravastatin (anticholesterol); and like you, Carvedilol. In my mind, strong medications can be minimized by reduced dosages (although 40mg statin is "strong" for sure), but my dosages are "strong." Norvasc can have a double purpose -- slowing the heart beats and reducing blood pressure. Same with Carvedilol -- a double-purpose medication.
My medication brought my BP under control -- always below 140/90 (not bad for someone 82 years old) -- but when I get up in the morning, it reads a little above that until my morning meds take effect. We have started to scale back the BP meds, thanks to careful nutrition adjustments, loss of weight, and life style changes, including special exercises designed to repair nerves and muscles impaired by my "small stroke." When I doubted my meds a year ago, I tracked down a couple of doctors and got second and third opinions on what to do. Maybe you would benefit from the same strategy. Martin
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1 Reactionlove these posts...helpful
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1 ReactionHad cardioversion 6 months ago. Lasted one month. Now on. Metropolol And cardiazam was on eliqui s but after intestinal and brain bleed. Had to get off blood thinner. Had the watchman put in yesterday and now have to be back on eliquis for six weeks . Hopefully eventually off blood thinners. Next is ablation and pacemaker.
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2 ReactionsHello 1943,
I had the Watchman implanted a year ago and have been doing just fine since. I was on Eliquis for 6 months following the implant and have been on a low dose aspirin after I stopped the Eliquis. All went well with my implantation and I have had no problems. I pray that your results are as successful. Do you have other heart problem? I'm just curious as to the ablation and pacemaker.
Mary
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2 ReactionsSorry that happened, @rubywitch67. I'll be here when you can revive the discussion.
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1 ReactionHi (again) Martin......I was wondering if my post that "disappeared" was simply too long? Or perhaps accessing this site from my email page messed it up, but that's how I've contacted both you and Teresa each time I've written. Well, we'll see what happens with this one. I'm going to keep it very short and just ask a few questions. I would really like to know what AFIB feels like for most people, and how long their "episodes" last. To me, it feels very, very similar to my PVC's, but I get a lot more. It seems to happen on and off all day and well into the night. Most times it seems to settle down by the time I'm ready to turn out the light or it is very faint and I'm able to fall asleep. (As long as I can keep my anxiety under control) My PVC's use to happen a few times a day, and then it might be several days, if I was lucky, before I had more. Now, as I said, it's every day. Is this a really BAD thing? Could the fact that this diagnosis is less than a week old and has me so scared, caused my panic disorder to trigger it? I received the Xeralto from the cardio and was terrified of taking it because of side effects. I took it and have had absolutely no side effects. I honestly think I was mistakenly looking at side effects for anti-arrhythmic drugs, which DO seem to have an abundance of side effects....I think I was scaring myself for nothing. Martin, I'm going to close this now in case I lose this one, too. When I went to the Mayo Clinic Connect site directly, I couldn't see where to log in and I could find our discussion. I need some help with navigation as well. I hope you get this......I'm working myself into a panic again. Thanks so much Linda/RubyWitch
I've just been diagnosed with AFIB and I'm terrified. I joined the Connect group but when I finally find my way to the AFIB discussion group, there doesn't seem to be a place for me to post. I REALLY NEED SOME SUPPORT. Thank you
Martin I wrote you a response that took me close to 2 hours and when I hit "post reply" I just got a little circle thing going around and around. I was afraid to do anything, so I just left it to hopefully fix itself, but when I came back to it 2 hours later, the entire message was gone! I have no idea what happened, but I will write again tomorrow.
Good morning, @rubywitch67! To answer your questions, I'd start by saying I probably overemphasized going to the ER. I'm always ready to do that, but I'd call 911 only if I know that my symptoms are severe and in need of emergency attention by the best doctors available. In most cases of A-fib incidents, the arrhythmia isn't that severe, although it could be. Check this source on the Mayo Clinic web site for more information: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-arrhythmia/symptoms-causes/syc-20350668.
A-fib is an electrical misfiring in the upper chamber (atrium) of the heart, as compared with PVC -- premature contraction of the ventricles (lower pumping chambers). A-fib has a very wide range of symptoms, and treatment of it depends on what they are and how likely they are to cause you injury. In most cases, A-fib doesn't deserve immediate emergency treatment; even severe cases tend to be addressed with surgical procedures (not open-heart surgery) to correct disruptions in the electrical signals that cause the heart to beat.
Coumadin is my preferred drug for reducing the tendency of my blood to coagulate. I take a pill every day and drop in to my medical lab on the way home from the bowling alley once a month. No hassle; I get a call within a few hours about my coagulation index and what my dosage should be for the coming month. More hassle than Xarelto, but I'm glad to have the relentless monthly check on how things are going on the status of blood clotting in my heart.
Did you find the information on the Mayo Clinic web site helpful and reassuring?
Hello Martin, thank you for such a quick reply. You and Teresa are really kind and caring people. It is too late today to contact my cardiologist. I'm sure if I called his office, there would be somebody on call, but I have no doubt they would just tell me to go to the ER. So far today, I have only had a few very short PVC's, or what I USE to call PVC's. I no longer know WHAT to call them. But they haven't been "bothersome" nor have they freaked me out. They feel just like what I've been living with the past 8 years. These recent weird runs have only happened in the evening AFTER I've eaten a fairly large meal and then just sprawl on the couch watching TV or reading. I think if you've read my posts, you know I have panic disorder and the more I think about it, the more I realize that when these episodes begin, SO DOES MY PANIC. Because I haven't met with my cardio yet and talked about this in depth, I am really just out here dealing with a whole lot of "unknown stuff" and "unknown stuff" scares me really bad and makes the panic come. When I first began having PVC's, I would have terrible panic attacks and I could feel the PVC's getting stronger and lasting longer. Once I started to get use to them and accept what my cardiologist said about them......that they were benign and because my heart was structurally sound, I should just learn to ignore them. Which I did. (More or less) One I reached that point, the panic attacks stopped, at least as far as the PVC's were concerned. I think I was going to make a point here, but I've gotten myself lost, again! I think I was going to say something about how I think this new diagnosis has scared me so badly, my panic attacks are really strong and that is why these episodes are lasting as long as they are. Last night, I did some of my relaxation breathing and my heartrate went way down, but then I began to OVERTHINK AND STRESS and it started back up again. I had stopped reading and turned the light out, so I was just laying there in the dark with my mind going a million miles an hour. I finally turned the light back on and started reading again. Very soon after that, my HR returned to normal, I read for a little while longer, turned the light out and went to sleep almost immediately. I slept for almost 10 hours as I think I was emotionally exhausted. And now, here I am today, 8 hours later and have had only a few mild PVC's. But I can feel my anxiety building as I think about "what's going to happen tonight?" But that's how my panic disorder rules me...…….it just picks away at me and the first odd physical sensation I have, it's game over. I am on an anti-anxiety medication but normally only take it in the morning. Tonight I think I will take some in the evening and eat a much smaller dinner and not lay down on the couch.
If I WERE to go to the ER, what would they do? I know they'd do an EKG and if I was in AFIB, what would they do? See, it's that damn "unknown" that scares me so badly.
May I ask why you are on Coumadin and not one of the newer meds for AFIB? Having to have your blood checked every month, isn't that more of a hassle than taking a pill? But the pills and their side effects scare me, and I wonder if going the coumadin route wouldn't be better for me with my panic issues? I am SO confused right now. And bye the way, I am so happy that your stroke was "mild" and that with some PT you are back bowling a near perfect game.
I don't know if I'll feel better with a diagnosis of AFIB over PVC's. My cardio, who knows I'm anxious, always made a point of reassuring me that my PVC's were benign and that definitely helped. Now I don't have a clue where I am. Right now I feel like a blimp that has come untethered and is out of control.
During the week I feel like I can readily connect with my doctor, but the week-ends are a dead end. At least, I THINK they are. I've never tried to contact him after hours or on the week-end, so I don't know. Guess I just figured it was Urgent Care or the ER. And while I live in a rural area, we are only about 1/2 mile from the fire station which is very up to date and has two EMT units. The station is now also manned 24/7, so yes, there is help very close by.
I have seen my cardio every 6 months for the past 8 years since the stents were placed. I've done 2 stress/echo's, I've worn a Holter twice which showed nothing...…….how did I suddenly develop AFIB? Or was I misdiagnosed and it has just now gotten worse?
I am sorry this post has probably rambled and I have so many questions. Thank you for caring. Linda
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